AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands, Nov 13, 2012 - Bentley will launch the Bentley Descartes V8i (SELECTseries 4) in early 2013. Bentley Descartes is information modeling software product for visualization, vector-to-raster, raster-to-vector conversion, and the management and processing of fundamental data types used in infrastructure projects, including scalable terrain models and point clouds. The announcement was made at the Bentley Be Inspired conference in Amsterdam.
Effective with the release of SELECTseries 4, Bentley Descartes will be available in two versions:
The stand-alone version delivers all the drafting and drawing production capabilities of MicroStation within a single application; it does not require a separate CAD platform.
Bentley Descartes V8i (SELECTseries 3) for MicroStation enables existing users of MicroStation and MicroStation-based simulation and design products to
seamlessly integrate the Bentley Descartes 3D imaging and point-cloud processing capabilities to avoid dual working environments for raster and vector information. A MicroStation license is required.
Advance Look at Capabilities and Benefits
New capabilities and benefits users will get from using Bentley Descartes V8i (SELECTseries 4) are:
Enhanced Point-cloud Display: This will increase users’ productivity by greatly improving the visualization and understanding of point clouds. Specifically:
Point-cloud class management is now available for any type of presentation style, which enables the flexible display of classes and decreases the need for data conversion. This ultimately reduces the time required for classifying points.
New presentation styles can be configured, saved, and managed, enabling quick switching from one display configuration to another. This improves object recognition and reduces the time spent viewing, understanding, and manipulating point clouds.
Enhanced Point-cloud Manipulation: This will increase users’ productivity and improve point clouds at both the data and model levels, which ultimately increases the ROI of the point-cloud data. Specifically:
Users are no longer limited to the 13 classes of LAS and can now define custom classes (e.g., using classification concepts in the plant or building industries with class names that are relevant to these industries). This improves the quality of point-cloud data and contributes to increasing the ROI on point clouds.
Clips and sections can be created, saved, and managed easily (e.g., toggle on/off clips or sections, without needing to recreate them). This makes the manipulation and review of point clouds much easier, especially when extracting geometries. Moreover, the time needed to configure views and analyze point-cloud data is now greatly reduced, particularly in geometry extraction workflows.
Support for geographic coordinate systems enables users to integrate point-cloud models from different coordinate systems. They also have the flexibility to choose among two reprojection modes for improved workflows: the physical mode is more time consuming but more accurate; the underfly mode is quicker but more approximate. These new capabilities help enhance the overall project point-cloud model, improving the quality of point clouds and ultimately increasing the ROI on point-cloud data, even if they are from different geographic coordinate systems.
Linear features can be extracted with a new set of tools, which is suitable for a variety of feature types from road gutter to tunnel or rail. This makes the extraction of linear featureGeometries and the quality control process more efficient, and increases the value users get from point clouds.
Matthew McCarter, CAD technician at Transport for London, said: “I have been creating 3D models from point clouds for almost a decade, and I am very excited by the point-cloud capabilities in MicroStation, MicroStation-based products, and Bentley Descartes. The Bentley Descartes V8i (SELECTseries 4) technology preview has revealed new tools to clip point clouds, manipulate sections, and extract linear features. I like the section tool, especially the ease with which a section can be duplicated and then rotated by a definable amount while automatically managing my view and auxiliary coordinate systems. Bentley users who are already using or proposing to use point clouds will have access to nearly all the functionality they require in this upcoming release of Bentley Descartes.”
Yves Genevois, at Conseil Général de L’Ain, said: “For several years, we have been using 3D simulation and visualization to evaluate the impact of road projects and to share these with various project stakeholders and the public. The use of point-cloud data in this context is a very interesting approach, as it enables the combination of design (geometric) models and as-built point clouds in hybrid models more quickly and at reduced cost. We have successfully completed tests using this hybrid approach and now plan to use Bentley Descartes. The new visualization tools (presentation styles and clip management) in Bentley Descartes V8i (SELECTseries 4) will help us increase productivity and improve the quality of our deliverables.”
About Bentley Systems, Incorporated
Bentley is the global leader dedicated to providing architects, engineers, geospatial professionals, constructors, and owner-operators with comprehensive software solutions for sustaining infrastructure. Bentley Systems applies information mobility to improve asset performance by leveraging information modeling through integrated projects for intelligent infrastructure. Its solutions encompass the MicroStation platform for infrastructure design and modeling, the ProjectWise platform for infrastructure project team collaboration and work sharing, and the AssetWise platform for infrastructure asset operations – all supporting a broad portfolio of interoperable applications and complemented by worldwide professional services. Founded in 1984, Bentley has more than 3,000 colleagues in 50 countries, more than $500 million in annual revenues, and since 2003 has invested more than $1 billion in research, development, and acquisitions.
Additional information about Bentley is available at www.bentley.com.